Commenthttp://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 09:14:50 -0800Joomla! - Open Source Content Managementen-gbinfo@latc.com (Los Altos Town Crier)Editorial: December already, and we're all thumbshttp://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/54248-editorial-december-already-and-we-re-all-thumbs
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/54248-editorial-december-already-and-we-re-all-thumbsHard to believe, but we’re already into the month of December and heading toward the end of the year. It’s been a busy time in the wake of last month’s election, holiday activities and some key ongoing issues our local officials continue to grapple with. So without further ado, we offer the following thumbs:

Thumbs-up: To the volunteers of the wonderful Festival of Lights Parade Association for putting on arguably the best event of the year in downtown Los Altos. This year’s event, held Nov. 27, featured more than 60 entries, including the new circus-themed train sponsored by the Town Crier. Our publisher Paul Nyberg donned his engineer’s suit and steered the train along the parade route, lined with one of the biggest crowds in recent memory. Thanks to the loyal parade organizers, the parade provides great entertainment, especially for the little ones, and usually goes off without a hitch. The annual parade is a big part of what makes Los Altos special, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.

]]>info@latc.com (Los Altos Town Crier Staff)ColumnsTue, 06 Dec 2016 16:00:00 -0800The last hundred years: A Piece of My Mindhttp://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/54247-
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/54247-Some time back I stumbled across a binder that my mother had created when she took a class on writing memoirs back in 1998. At that time, I remember she tried to interest me in her writing, but I was busy and just nodded, glad she had found something to interest her after my father’s death. Now that her memories are fading, I found myself sitting down to read every word. In August 1998, she looked back on “The Last Hundred Years”:

“In 1919, just a few years before I was born, Jeanette Rankin became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, was finally ratified by both houses of Congress. Women can now get credit cards without the signature of their husband.

That’s not an endorsement, nor is it a metaphor for a larger philosophical or political viewpoint. It’s just a fact. But the fact carries some weight. It makes me ache for my country, and feel deep regret over the ugly rhetoric that was unleashed throughout the campaign. In a nutshell, I’m sad. And that’s just a fact, too.

My good friend Mike Quigley, a Los Altos resident, is the chief marketing officer of Niantic, the company that developed the Pokémon Go application that seemingly took over the world upon its launch July 6. The game had half a billion downloads its first two months and became the biggest mobile game launch of all time.

“I feel like I’ve been listening to the soundtrack of my life,” my sister sighed blissfully. We were side-by-side on the bus riding home from Sir Paul McCartney’s concert, which had opened Sacramento’s Golden One Arena.

Nowadays, after I finish watching any news broadcast highlighting the 2016 presidential campaign, I often feel the need to take a bath. Comedian John Oliver summed up this year’s race best when he said, “Look up into the sky. Way up. See that? Above the clouds? That’s rock bottom.” Regardless of whether or not you consider sexual misconduct relevant to the discussion over who wins next month’s election, the topic is now front and center, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

]]>info@latc.com (Grace Acosta )ColumnsTue, 25 Oct 2016 17:00:00 -0700Keeping me authentic: Haugh About That?http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53890-
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53890-Peering over the letter-sized piece of paper, my eldest daughter, Michelle, fixed her stare on her waiting mother with lifted eyebrows. Taking her time to give her review on my latest story, I sat nervously. The year was 2013, and, in this case, no news wasn’t good news.

Putting the article down, she asked, concerned, “Mom, were you on drugs when you wrote this?”

]]>info@latc.com (Frank Hughes )ColumnsTue, 11 Oct 2016 17:00:00 -0700Immigrants in our nation's capital: A Piece of My Mindhttp://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53789-immigrants-in-our-nation-s-capital-a-piece-of-my-mind
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53789-immigrants-in-our-nation-s-capital-a-piece-of-my-mindOne of our leading politicos has gotten a lot of publicity in the past months by characterizing a group of immigrants to this country as “rapists,” “thieves” and “drug dealers.” Since my great-grandmother came from Australia, where the first white immigrants were transported convicts – rapists, thieves and drug dealers – I am a bit sensitive on the subject. So on my recent trip to Washington, D.C., I paid particular interest to the impact of immigrants to our nation’s capital.

After a long day of exploring the National Mall, the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Museum of the American Indian, we welcomed an easy walk across the street from our hotel to the Cafe Park, sitting outside under the umbrellas fronting Pennsylvania Avenue, where we could people-watch. By the time we had begun to check out the menu, the humidity had devolved into a gentle rain, but we stayed out under our umbrellas as the air turned cool and fresh.

]]>info@latc.com (Allyson Johnson)ColumnsTue, 04 Oct 2016 17:00:00 -0700Cancer care: No Shoes, Pleasehttp://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53745-
http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/comment/256-columns/53745-I check in with my oncologist every three months. I also get blood work done for every visit, a CT scan every six months and a yearly colonoscopy. It’s all relative, but I feel like over the past two years, I’ve been in and out of exam rooms quite a lot.

That said, I am treated well by everyone: my doctor, the nurses, the receptionists who check me in, the vampires who draw my blood, the technicians who ask me to remove my clothing and don a gown. Unlike shopping at most retail stores, or making any phone call to the cable company, my oncological encounters are uniformly positive. Everyone is warm, friendly, eager to help, patient, efficient and delighted to see me.